'Kurbaan' fails to impress audiences

The entire film industry is in a state of shock. Believe me, I was inundated with calls all wanting to know one thing: Why didn't ‘Kurbaan’ fetch an initial?‘Kurbaan’ had everything going in its favour... Karan Johar has.

An impeccable track record as a film-maker. Every film produced by Karan has had a potent start at the ticket window. Saif Ali Khan's status, after ‘Love Aaj Kal’, has been at an all-time high. The Saif - Kareena combo had hit headlines since the time they made their relationship public.

The combo looked great. UTV, the global distributors of ‘Kurbaan’, had promoted the film extensively. Solo release status. ‘Kurbaan’ had no major opposition to contend with. Naturally, everyone expected ‘Kurbaan’ to start with a bang for the above-mentioned five reasons.

But the opening weekend numbers were shockingly low. Despite glowing reviews from critics who matter, ‘Kurbaan’ showed no signs of pick up after a weak Friday. So what went wrong? A section of the industry feels that moviegoers aren't interested in watching serious/intense stories.

Another viewpoint is that a big chunk of movie-going audience stayed away from the film. Yet another opinion is that the common man had already exhausted his budget after watching ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ and ‘2012’.

A section of the industry also feels that UTV shouldn't have released ‘Kurbaan’ extensively [approx. 1700 screens globally]. ‘Kurbaan’ is not a mass appealing film like ‘Ghajini’ or ‘Wanted’, so why such a wide release?

I disagree. UTV had paid a fabulous amount for its global rights and with ‘De Dana Dan’ slated for release next Friday, UTV knew ‘Kurbaan’ had just one week to score and the only way to do so was to have a wide release.

Had ‘Kurbaan’ fetched a thunderous start, the same decision would've been hailed by the industryfolk. As things stand today, UTV will lose a substantial chunk of their investment, for sure. Truly, box-office can be most unpredictable!

Overseas performance Karan Johar's much-awaited 'Kurbaan' was expected to fetch a flying start in the international markets, but it didn't. The film has under-performed in the three key markets - U.K. [strictly average, due to the 15 certificate], U.S.A. [quite good] and Australia [ordinary]. The combined total from these three markets is approx. Rs. 3.50 crores. Disappointing! U.K. BOX-OFFICE

'Kurbaan' has debuted at No. 11 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected £ 1,64,468 [approx. Rs. 1.27 crores] on 44 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 3,738. Incl. Thursday previews.

KARAN JOHAR MOVIES IN U.K. 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani' [last weekend: No. 13, this weekend: No. 17]: In its third weekend, the film has collected £ 26,408 on 16 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 1,651. Total: £ 4,06,974 [approx. Rs. 3.14 crores].

'Heer Ranjha' [Punjabi film; last weekend: No. 19, this weekend: No. 22]: In its second weekend, the film has collected £ 11,968 on 10 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 1,197. Total: £ 49,034 [approx. Rs. 37.86 lacs].

'Tum Mile' [last weekend: No. 21, this weekend: No. 35]: In its second weekend, the film has collected £ 2,656 on 6 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 443. Total: £ 38,005 [approx. Rs. 29.35 lacs]. 'Aladin' [last weekend: No. 60, this weekend: No. 48]: In its fourth weekend, the film has collected £ 1,527 on 13 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 117. Total: £ 1,07,116 [approx. Rs. 82.74 lacs].

'London Dreams' [last weekend: No. 28, this weekend: No. 60]: In its fourth weekend, the film has collected £ 994 on 3 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 331. Total: £ 2,56,375 [approx. Rs. 1.98 crores]. 'Kurbaan' has debuted at No. 20 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 4,03,678 [approx. Rs. 1.88 crores] on 83 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 4,864.

AUSTRALIA BOX-OFFICE 'Kurbaan' has debuted at No. 14 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected Aus. $ 77,325 [approx. Rs. 33.17 lacs] on 12 screens, with the per screen average working out to Aus. $ 6,444.